Outed
by procrastinationisvital
Summary: Flack is injured chasing a perp and Danny's reaction will change how the team view the two men forever. Self explanatory - hardly a work of fine literature! First fanfic in years, new account so enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! I'm back (previously 'Convention Obsessive') And I've got a new computer so having some major formatting problems as you can probably see (unless I've sorted them by the time you read this...)**

 **It's been a good couple of years since I've written anything so feel free to leave constructive criticism in the comments!**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this little mind-fart of a piece.**

OUTED:

"You _stupid, crazy_ man!" Danny yelled, running up to Don who was now slumped in a heap on the sidewalk. He heard Mac overtake him and then the thump of two men hitting the ground but his attention was only on Flack.

"Hey, _hey_ can you hear me buddy? Come on sweetie talk to me!"

Danny whispered frantically as he rolled Don onto his lap.

"Come on Donny, talk to me man!"

Lindsey came running up behind the two men and crouched by Danny's side.

"I'm calling an ambulance, hang in there Flack!"

Lindsey frowned as she brought out her cell, keeping an eye on the two men by her side whilst talking to dispatch. She couldn't quite place the look on Danny's face but something was definitely up. She'd never seen Danny look so worried! Admittedly the sight of Don going down hard after the perp had turned and smacked him across the head with a crowbar had been enough to make her stomach drop but Danny's worry seemed out of place…

She pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind as she hailed down the approaching ambulance and watched as Mac and Stella bundled the perp into the back of the squad car, a look of satisfaction gracing her face as she noted Mac was being none to gentle with his handling of the bastard.

The paramedics were beginning to assess Don where he lay, still half in Danny's lap, and the as blood gushing out of a cut on his forehead began to slow; Flack opened his eyes slowly.

"Danny?" he groaned, trying to sit up. The movement was immediately too much for him and he promptly turned and vomited on the ground.

"Shh don't move, come on let these guys help you, Don" soothed Danny, sliding out from underneath Flack as the paramedics lifted him onto a gurney.

As they wheeled him towards the ambulance, Danny turned to Mac with a pleading look in his eye but before he could even open his mouth, Mac cut him off with

"Go, look after him - we'll follow on when we've finished processing"

Danny sent him a grateful smile and climbed in after Flack, the ambulance doors slamming behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

OUTED: Chapter 2

A comfortable silence fell on the team as they worked quickly and efficiently to process the scene. It wasn't hard, they had all seen what had happened and after having worked together for so many years they processed like a well oiled machine.

It was Lindsey who spoke first.

"Hey did you guys notice anything off about Danny?" she started, taking some final shots of the worryingly large blood pool that Don had recently been lying in.

"What do you mean", asked Hawkes, "like the way he looked as if his own mother had died when he saw Flack lying there?"

Lindsey frowned contemplatively. Stella looked over at Lindsey and seeing the worry and confusion at both the accident and Danny's subsequent reaction, she offered some reassuring words.

"I don't know, Linds, those two are as thick as thieves so it doesn't surprise me Danny panicked when he saw his best buddy laying in a heap like that… I mean did you see him after the bombing case? The guy barely left Flack's side for weeks! And that was only a couple months ago. He's probably still got some leftover concern because I think we can all agree Flack came back far too early from his leave!"

Mac stayed quiet throughout the exchange, although not uncharacteristically, weighing up the reality of the rest of the team finding out about Danny and Flack's relationship. He had to admit he himself had only found out when Danny had come scrambling out of the rubble after the building that he and Flack had been evacuating was blown up. Danny's reaction had not been that of a concerned colleague and friend, but the full blown panic of a partner and lover.

It was only Danny's embarrassment at his failure to react professionally under the circumstances that had prevented Mac from bringing the relationship up with either of them, and as far as he knew Flack didn't even know he was aware.

"Mac?" asked Stella, bringing him out of his reverie, "looked like you zoned out on us for a sec!"

Mac gave her a small smile and turned to the rest of then CSI team.

"Right - as soon as this is packed up and dropped off at the lab we can head over to the hospital to check on the boys"

—

Mac lead the trio that marched through the hospital doors less than an hour later. Between himself, Stella and a formidable looking Lindsey, they looked like a group that you didn't want to cross.

"We're looking for a Don Flack Jr." said Mac, leaning over the reception desk, "Came in 'bout an hour ago with a head injury, accompanied by Danny Messer?"

The receptionist smiled warmly and looked up at the three team members standing before her.

"I know the very ones! We talking a 6"2 guy trying to deny his injuries with half a pint of blood running down his face and white as a sheet and a littler tanned guy scaring off my doctors like some sort of protective mama?" she laughed, coming out from behind her desk and leading the small group to a private room down the corridor.

The description confused Stella and Lindsey. Don trying to deny injuries to minimise hospital stays and get back on the job asap sounded about right, but Danny acting anything other than joking and nonchalant sounded very much out of character.

Peering through the glass into the room, the team could see Don sleeping soundly; a white bandage covering mosts of his forehead and left eye, and looking a little worse for wear. Beside him sat Danny, watching intently but not leaning too close or touching him - almost tentative as if Flack were as delicate as a glass ornament.

"Mr Flack needs his rest for now but if you want to stay in the waiting room I can get someone to call you when he wakes up" said the nurse kindly.

"Is Danny alright in there then?" enquired Lindsey, a little puzzled as to why the instructions to leave Don to rest didn't seem to extend to the man currently standing vigil by his bedside.

"Oh yes, next of kin are allowed to stay with the patient at all times; it tends to help keep them calm - especially in cases like Mr Flack's"

The nurse smiled again and then turned to complete her rounds.

The team was left standing speechless.

Since when was Danny Flack's next of kin?

What was 'this case' that had Flack needing someone to keep him calm?

And what the hell was going on?


	3. Chapter 3

OUTED:

Back in Don's hospital room Danny sat silently by Don's side. The nurses had said not to expect him to wake for a few hours at least, after the head trauma and subsequent concoction of drugs Flack would need to sleep for a little while. It was all perfectly normal, Danny had been assured, but it didn't make him like it any more.

"You can talk to him, you know, it often helps patients feel more at ease if they wake to a familiar voice"

Danny jumped as the on call doctor walked in behind him.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you coming…" he muttered.

The Doctor smiled and picked up Flack's chart from the end of his bed.

"I see Mr Flack has certainly been in the wars recently!" he remarked as he flipped through Don's rather extensive file.

Danny sighed, "That he certainly has…" he murmured, picking up his partner's hand and rubbing his thumb across it absent-mindedly.

"I'll send a nurse in to take vitals soon but all looks fine here" the doctor concluded, "and as I said, make sure you speak to him - make him feel comfortable"

Danny thanked the man and turned his attention back to Don. Through the thin hospital gown, Danny could still make out the protective elastic vest Don wore whilst his scars were healing. The damage to his stomach had been extensive and the PT sessions Danny was still dragging Don to on a weekly basis were gruelling at the best of times. Placing his hand gently on his lover's stomach, the other still clutching his hand, Danny sighed.

"Oh Donny what am I gonna do wid'ya…"

What he was not expecting was a slight groan and for Don to arch his back in an attempt to move around and gauge his surroundings.

"Shh shh it's me, Donny, it's Dan… Shh shh just stay calm - come on now bud"

Danny soothed the dazed Flack, resting one hand on his shoulder to stop him from wriggling too much whilst surreptitiously leaning across the bed to press the call button.

"Was'appen Dann' - don' feel so good man…"

Don slurred, the effect of the concussion and various pain medications clearly making waking up quite a foggy and confusing experience.

"Some jerk used your head for battin' practice baby but don't worry, we got him"

Danny continued in a low voice, trying to keep his partner as calm as he could, not wishing him to get over agitated and hurt himself further. He was reminded of when Don had first woken up from his medically induced coma after the bombing. He had been afraid and out of it and had almost ripped out all his lines and popped a couple of stitches in the process. Flack had never truly confessed to Danny where his hatred of hospitals came from, but he knew when Don was ready - he would be ready to listen. For now he just knew he needed to be there for when he _was_ in hospital with little chance of escape.

Moments later, the doctor from earlier, accompanied by a friendly looking older nurse whose face looked familiar, entered briskly.

"Everything alright?" enquired the doctor calmly as he assessed the patient trying to shift about in the rather small bed.

"Alright Mr Flack, if you could just lie still for me I'd like to run a couple of tests to see just how you're faring"

Danny squeezed his hand when Don carried on his tossing and turning and leant down to whisper in Don's ear.

"Hey, hey buddy ease up - I know it's hard but the sooner the doc can examine you the sooner we get you into a more comfortable position"

Flack relaxed a little at that, his brow still furrowed in confusion, and looked up straight into Danny's eyes.

"Dan I can't see too good, there's bits missin', and my hearin's all messed up"

The agony and despair in Don's slurred voice almost had the smaller man in tears but he held it together as the doctor came up to the other side of the detective's bed to speak to him where he might better understand him.

"Oh dear - now, I know this is all gonna seem strange and scary but temporary hearing problems and black spots are fairly normal for a head injury like yours. It's gonna be hard for a few days but you should all resume normal audio-visionary function once the concussion goes away and your head's had a chance to realign itself"

The man spoke slowly in a low voice to ensure Flack stayed as relaxed as possible and understood everything he was saying. Danny smiled warmly at Don, attempting to reassure him through his facial expression, but inside his stomach was turning flips. Temporary audio visual problems didn't sound like 'nothing much' to him…

The nurse helped reinsert some lines that had become dislodged during Don's awakening then the two medical professionals left the room.

"Dah'nee" Don whispered, the look on his face something akin to a terrified little child, "Dahn I'm not feelin' so good"

Danny helped him sit up just in time to vomit into a small cardboard basin that was then promptly disposed of in the bin in the corner.

"I don' like thisss, feel outta control" a very remorseful Don continued.

Danny's heart ached and he wished with every sinew in his body it could be him lying in that hospital bed rather than the man he loved more than he cared to admit.

"Scooch up" he said to a slow-moving Don whose mouth was now hanging slightly agape, "Come on, there's room enough for two!"

Sliding onto the bed next to Don, Danny slipped his arm over Flack's shoulder and allowed the taller man to slump against his chest.

"Oh you silly man - when will you ever learn to value your own safety and wait for some goddamn backup" he chuckled, feeling relieved to have Flack's warm and very much alive form pressed against his side. A much needed reminder that he was _okay_.

"Backup s'not really my style…" Don quipped against his boyfriend's chest, a small smile creeping across his face as he once again succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the wait - just to clarify the episodes referenced in this chapter (Charge of This Post and Pay Up) are deliberately out of order to make this fic work so please bear with. In this, Pay Up comes about six months before COTP and then this fic is a few months after that. Thanks again for reading! Hope you enjoy.**

The team sat huddled in the waiting room a few hours later. Several cups of coffee and various pastries had been bought and consumed by all at the insistence of Stella, who had not wanted any of them to be running on empty, but nobody had been in the mood for idle chatter. The lack of contact from the nurses and Danny with regards to Flack's condition was leaving everyone worried and restless. Sid, who had recently joined the sombre crew, was about to offer some consoling words when the double doors swung open to reveal a tired-looking and blood-stained Danny.

"Hey guys" he whispered with a small smile, "Thanks for waiting… thanks for being here"

They stood up to greet him and ask after Don, and Danny was struck with deja vu as to the time he had done the same to Flack after Jess' murder.

"How's he doing, Danny?" Mac's voice brought him back to the present.

"He's a fighter" Danny replied, looking around at the faces of his colleagues, of his friends.

"He's tired, he's been through a lot, but you know Don - he always pulls through for us!"

The others could tell Danny was clearly exhausted so they held their questions and waited for him to continue and shed some light on the situation.

"He's currently having some 'audio-visionary' problems but the doc says they should sort themselves out after the initial swelling has gone down. Basically his brains moving normal speed but his mouth and eyes can't keep up - and he's not hearing so good neither"

Mac hung his head and sighed, only Don Flack could get himself into this much trouble chasing a perp. Always faster, always braver - always the hero. It was people like Flack, that put the job above their own welfare, that gave the NYPD such high solve rates - but also put years on Mac for the stress of worrying it caused him.

"But also we gotta tell you guys somethin'. Well, me and Don that is…"

Danny's voice dropped and he looked to Mac for approval. Lindsey and Stella both guessed that what Danny was about to divulge would probably clear things up for them. Mac gave Danny a small smile of encouragement.

"I dunno how you guys are gonna take this if I'm honest. I hope things don't change between us and I gotta say you all mean the world to me. I dunno what I'd do if this … I dunno…"

He trailed off, only to have Lindsey take his hand and give him a hug.

"I know I speak for everyone when I say that nothing you could have to tell us would ever change how we think of you. You and Don both mean so much to us and we couldn't function without you two on the team. You can tell us, trust me"

Lindsey's words of encouragement seemed to be the last sign that Danny needed before launching into his story. He took a deep breath and looked around at his friends scattered before him. He knew in his heart of hearts this was a right decision.

"See me and Don, we been… well, 'dating' I guess… for a while now"

The team held their tongues, feeling Danny had more explaining to do and not wanting to interrupt this.

"You remember when Jess… got shot. Well, I guess it was in the aftermath of that… in the time when I was looking out for Don that our… our relationship kinda 'bloomed'"

Danny chuckled at his own use of flowery language. Before getting together with Don he'd never have said anything like that, but Don's secret love of rom-coms and cuddling had brought out the softer side in him.

"He's… I dunno how to explain really… I guess to be totally truthful - he's the man I love and if any of ya's gotta problem with that then I'm afraid there's nothing gonna change that fact. I love him, and it's been too long not to tell you guys"

Danny felt a total rush of emotion swell inside him. He was proud to have finally come out with Don to his friends. He was ready to be defensive, internally planning the eventuality of having to transfer to another team. His body stiffened with the anticipation of a bad reaction.

"Oh Danny I thought it was gonna be bad news!" exclaimed Lindsey, relief taking place of the tension in her features.

Stella moved forward to embrace Danny saying "Oh I'm so happy for you both"

Danny smiled in relief and saw over Stella's shoulder that Adam was handing Hawkes a twenty dollar bill.

"Wait a minute - you two had a wager?!" he asked incredulously.

"Look Danny anyone with eyes can see the fondness you have for each other, I just had to find a sucker with no eyes to win some money off!" Sheldon laughed, hugging Danny and slapping him on the back.

"I don't believe it…" Adam shook his head as a smile broke out on his face, "I'm happy for you though. Don could use someone to look out for him the way he puts himself out to protect other people all the time"

Mac smiled across at Danny over the heads of his colleagues, and Danny caught a glimpse of Mac's approval and wordless congratulations and for the first time in hours, felt a little more at peace.


End file.
